The Wolfhound
by JacksonMW
Summary: Being the new guy is never easy. And in a world where "eat or be eaten" takes a literal meaning, one needs to find their place in it quick. Follow the journey of an Irish Wolfhound in the tumultuous Cherryton School as he navigates the perils of a wild society, hoping to grow beyond the instincts that govern all animals.
1. Chapter 1

The Wolfhound

A Beastars Story

**CHAPTER 1**

Cherryton Academy.

I have heard that name my whole life.

Cherryton Academy.

God, the mere mention of the name is enough to just make me want to lay down and fall asleep forever. Each utterance makes me shrink away, wanting nothing more than to slink into the shadows so that I might not have to think of it.

Even as I climb the hill to its gates, I curse it. The luggage I pull behind me, the only remnants from my life halfway across the world, feels heavier and heavier as my feet drag. My tail seems to grow more rigid with each step, my ragged grey fur standing on edge as I climb higher and higher, the name beating against the edges of my skull like the bang of a drum.

Cherryton Academy.

_My new home…_

* * *

"Good evening, O'Conner – San."

I blinked once, glancing around the well-ordered office, my paws clasped tight against my slacks as my eyes settled on the source of the greeting.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Plenty of business to attend to as headmaster, after all."

The Siberian Tiger chuckled lightly, extending a paw towards me from my right. I had not even noticed him enter the office; my own thoughts having drowned out all senses of my surrounding. I quickly rose out of the seat, my tall stature dwarfing the headmaster by several inches, and bowed deeply, barely taking notice of his outstretched paw.

"Good evening, Headmaster Gon!" I blurted out, my Irish broad mixing with the Japanese language quite awkwardly.

The refusal of a traditionally western greeting on my part elicited a hearty chuckle from the headmaster.

"Now that I had not expected! I knew you were somewhat versed in Japanese, but this is my first time hearing it spoken by an Irish Carnivore," he remarked amidst his chuckling, his own deftness with the language completely dwarfing mine. "The dialect your people have creates an… interesting combination with my language."

I stood up straight, looking down at the headmaster as my ears drooped slightly, internally cursing myself.

_A marvelous first impression._

"I-I hope it doesn't sound too awful, s-sir." I replied sheepishly, aware at how awkward I sounded when speaking the language.

"Non-sense. I take great pride in anyone taking the time to learn our language. It is no easy task, and I must say you are by no means the worst speaker I've heard. Please, take a seat."

Headmaster Gon had briefly returned the bow before moving behind the large, wooden desk that sat in-front of a large window. The entirety of the Academies grounds could be seen from the office, and I felt my eyes drift over to it for a moment, before settling on the headmaster once again as I sat down.

"Now then," Headmaster Gon sighed, sitting upright in his plush, red leather chair. "I trust the flight over was a relaxing one? How long is it? Fifteen hours?"

"Twelve hours, s-sir." I stammered, hunching over in my chair to keep at eye level. "It was fine."

"I can barely manage an hour train ride myself, but you seem to have managed well. Most of our foreign students get lost once they arrive in the city. More than once I've had to send some upperclassmen to hunt them down."

I chuckled softly.

"My father made sure I knew how to get here once I got off my flight."

Headmaster Gon nodded in approval, placing a paw on a manilla folder he had in front of him. He flicked it open, gazing down at it briefly. I caught a glimpse of the contents as well, a flattering picture of myself from junior high stapled to the folder's first paper.

"Your father is an alumnus of Cherryton, correct?" the Headmaster prodded, continuing to look over the folder's contents as I turned my gaze back to him.

"Y-yes sir. Class of 1989. My grandfather came here as well sometime ago…" I said with a nod, certain that this information was already outlined in the folder.

"Both purebred Wolfhounds, correct?"

"Yes sir. As is my mother and grandmother. I… come from a long line of them." I said with a sheepish smile, adjusting my collared shirt slightly.

Headmaster Gon nodded again, glancing up from the folder to look me over. I had always felt felines had an imposing gaze, their eyes calculating and always moving with purpose. I did my best to maintain eye contact with him as he looked me up and down.

"You know, you're the first Irish Wolfhound I have ever met… I'm quite impressed!"

I tugged at my collar lightly as Gon smiled, myself sheepishly returning the smile.

"No doubt many of our students may confuse you for a Grey Wolf when they first see you, what with that grey coat and sharp, pointed snout. How tall are you?"

I paused a moment. "One hundred and eighty three centimeters, sir."

Gon nodded once, closing the folder and leaning back in his chair.

"Excellent. Everything seems to be in order then. We are certainly thrilled to have you joining us here. Foreign students are somewhat of a rarity nowadays, as many countries are seeing a rise in schools of the same style. No doubt your parents had many options in the United Kingdom for you, so we are quite grateful your family is continuing to utilize us."

"T-thank you, sir." I said, my tone quite timid as I remained hunched over.

"Now then, seeing as you're coming in at the end of the winter sessions, we won't have any new student orientations for you until three weeks from now. You'll be welcome to attend those when they do happen, but for now we will get you started with your studies." Gon said with a well-rehearsed tone of voice, as if he has given this spiel a dozen times already. "To start, you'll be housed in Canine Dorm 700. You arriving on a Saturday is quite advantageous, as you'll get some time for your dorm mates to show you around the school. They'll be more apt to fill you in on campus activities and the like."

"I'm looking forward to getting started, sir."

_No, you're not._

Gon smiled lightly.

"Excellent. We are looking forward to seeing what you will bring to the school, Mr. O'Conner, especially with your involvement with the drama club."

My heart skipped a beat for a moment, my eyes certainly betraying that fact had slipped my mind.

"Ah… right." I said in a meek tone.

"Not to worry, O'Conner – San, the Cherryton High School drama club's reputation has a bad habit of preceding it. Many times, our scouted foreign students, as few as they are, are quite nervous about it." Gon said, his tone reassuring, no doubt having caught on to my reservations.

"D-don't worry, sir. I'm not nervous." I smiled, sitting up straight as I let a hearty, though painfully fake, chuckle escape.

_Yes, you are. You're nervous, you're angry. After all, it's their fault you're here._

"That's good to hear." Gon nodded, sitting up from his desk.

I followed suit, returning to my towering stature as my eyes drifted back out to the view just beyond the window. The sun had just begun to set, and a brilliant hue of oranges and pinks danced across the campus grounds. I wanted nothing more than this moment in time to freeze. I wanted it to never let me go, as I knew the moment I would turn around and exit the headmaster's office, I'd be stuck here.

_Just a little while longer… please. _

I felt Gon's paw clap me on the back as he turned me around, my head craning for one last look out that window, my eyes pleading silently to keep looking.

"If you ever feel yourself getting lonely, or having trouble adjusting to life away from home, my door is open for you." Gon said with a smile as he led me further away from the window.

I heard a door open, a rush of air greeting me as I stepped out in a hallway. My body turned on a whim, the headmaster just barely in my peripheral vision as my eyes lingered on the window.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Gon said with a chuckle as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a thin plastic card, no bigger than your average credit card.

My paws seemed to move by themselves, my eyes still fixated on the ever-dimming sun as it crept behind the rolling ocean waves. In a fluid motion, I held the card in between my two clawed paws, taking the briefest of moments to look down.

"Welcome to Cherryton High School, Daniel O'Conner."

And in an instant, the door closed.

* * *

_Don't be nervous._

_Don't be nervous._

_It's just roommates._

My fist gently rapped against the wooden door, eliciting a great deal of commotion from the room beyond.

_They're canines, like you. Just be friendly._

The door flung open, an immediate bombardment of scents and smells assaulting my nostrils, along with five grinning faces.

"Oh wow! Told you he'd be tall!" a Border Collie remarked.

"He looks like a wolf!" an Arctic Fox piped up, doing his best to climb over the dog pile at the door.

"Oh great, another long fur. Not like we don't have enough shedding around here…" an equally tall Doberman sighed, adjusting his glasses.

"Hey hey, come on guys, let's not dog pile on him!" a Dhole remarked, his striking red fur standing out the most as he pushed his way to the front of the group.

"I'm sure he could take us." A Coyote said plainly, leaning his head in close, his nose twitching as he sniffed.

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head, glancing to my right and left as a few other doors in the hall crept open to observe the source of the early evening commotion.

"H-hey there, roomies." I smiled, doing my best to stand up straight, keeping my fangs hidden enough to not bare them openly.

The group of eager canines fell silent for a split second, no doubt in response to my accent's always interesting combination with the Japanese language. To me, the silence seemed to last for an eternity, but they quickly let out a collective "woah".

"That's definitely an Irish accent! So cool…" the Arctic Fox marveled, his smaller stature causing him to crane his neck slightly to look me over.

"Sounded a lot different than I thought it would…" the Border Collie chuckled, scratching his chin some.

"It's because he's speaking Japanese, you dork." The Dhole sighed, shaking his head lightly.

The Doberman poked his head out of the doorframe for a moment, also taking notice of the commotion they were causing, as many of the other students in adjacent dorms were doing the same.

"Alright fellas let's get back in the room before we get another noise complaint." He said in with a reserved, yet authoritative tone. "Here Daniel, we'll get your bags in."

"You have a lot of stuff…" the Coyote stated. "May need to make some room…"

My eyes perked slightly as everyone began to help haul in the three suitcases, duffle bag, and backpack I had dropped in the hallway.

"T-thank you… I didn't expect you all to know my name yet."

The Doberman turned for a moment with a friendly smirk, letting the Coyote move past him.

"It'd have been quite rude for us to not. Come on in and close the door behind you."

I chuckled lightly, returning the smirk with another smile as I stepped across the door's threshold, breathing in the surroundings of the room.

It was well lived in, as to be expected. The entry way was lined with six open air "closets" that were more akin to personal cupboards. Each cupboard, save for the one closest to the door, was filled with coats, shirts, shoes, bookbags and other miscellaneous items belonging to my roommates. It only took me one sniff to identify whose stuff was kept where, and one glance to know that the empty space was mine.

I took the liberty of taking off my down jacket, utilizing a small coat hanger nailed into the side of the empty cupboard to store the jacket.

"Getting comfy already, eh?" the Arctic fox piped up from the main room.

I whipped my head to the left, freezing in place when I realized everyone was staring at me.

"Oh, s-sorry. I figured since this was empty it wa-"

"Don't apologize, bro. We're all canines here." The Dhole chuckled as he lounged in a black bean bag chair.

"Yeah, and no need to lurk in the doorway, come on in! This is your home now too!" the Border Collie exclaimed, leaping up from his bunk and rushing over to me.

I froze again as he rushed me down, his own paw taking hold of mine and pulling me into the main living area of the room.

It was certainly a lot larger than I had thought it would be. The "bunk beds" were more akin to those pods that can be found in some hotels, with sliding privacy screens and quite a bit of room on the interior. The pods were stacked on top of each other to my left and right, perpendicular to the single window of the room. I took a glance behind me, noticing an empty, pod close to the washroom's entrance. My luggage seemed to already be laid out around the empty pod as well, making it quite clear this was my new bed.

"It's not much, but it's home. Bathroom is off to your left, and obviously your bunk is just behind you, below mine." The Doberman explained, sitting on another bean bag chair, a yellow one, that sat in the middle of the room. "We've got a TV behind us and an old game console hooked up if that's your fancy, too. Oh! Crap, you don't even know our names, do you?"

I shook my head once.

"You idiot," the Dhole laughed, smacking the Doberman upside his head lightly. "This moron here is Chase, though we sometimes call him 'short hair'; he thinks his shit don't stink just because he doesn't shed."

Chase, the leanly built Doberman whose black and brown coat seemed to shine ever so slightly under the right light, returned the friendly smack with one of his own.

"And this is 'Ginger', though he may try to tell you his real name is Mav." Chase smirked.

"I'm Tony!" the Border Collie grinned from ear to ear, giving me a friendly slap on the back.

"Ozzi," the Coyote said with a simple nod of his head, gazing down from his top bunk.

"And I'm Pip!" the Arctic Fox finished, leaping off his top bunk triumphantly. "And don't go thinking my nickname is 'pipsqueak' either! I'm just a bit short for my age."

"So the scientists say…" Mav snickered, eliciting a round of chuckles from everyone, including Pip.

I joined in on the chuckling, though stayed somewhat reserved as I took the opportunity to sit down on my new bed. I had to remain somewhat hunched over, my head just barely able brushing the top lip of the pod if I had sat up straight.

"Well, you already know my name, but I'm Daniel, though my… mates called me Danny back home." I said, my tone energetic and friendly in the beginning, but drooping off towards the end.

_Stop thinking about home you idiot! Now's not the time to be a sad sack!_

"Danny… it suits you," Ozzi said plainly, looking me over once more before picking up a book he had left on his bed.

"'Mates'." Pip said with a chuckle, his eyebrows wriggling as he took to sitting on the floor in front of his bunk. "For a second there I thought you meant the 'more than friend' kind, if you catch my drift."

"Oh, you would think that wouldn't you, you little pervert!" Mav exclaimed, picking Pip off his spot on the floor, catching the smaller carnivore in a headlock. "Try to behave for a bit before letting Danny into your sick little mind will yah?!"

Pip let out a yelp as he squirmed under Mav's grasp. While Mav was small himself, only reaching up to the middle of my chest, he had a good grasp on the much smaller fox. The struggling of Pip, however, proved too much for Mav to handle, and the two of them tumbled out of the bean bag chair, flopping onto the ground.

"T-TONY… BACK ME UP!" Pip squeaked, continuing to struggle as Mav began to noogie the fox.

"I've got ya, little buddy!" Tony roared, leaping from my side to join in on the dog pile, grabbing Mav by his tail.

Boisterous laughter filled room 700 as I sat there watching the playful scuffle. For a moment, I felt myself smile. Not any of the fake, half smiles I had put on throughout the day; it was a genuine smile. However fleeting it was, I kept smiling as I watched the three canines wrestle with each other, barely resisting the urge to join in myself.

"Sorry Danny, they tend to get rowdy on the weekends." Chase sighed; his voice raised just enough to speak over the dog pile next to him.

I perked my ears up, turning over to Chase.

"It's fine, actually. Seems you all are close friends."

Chase smiled, looking over at the dog pile as the three canines began to calm down; the laughter and playful yelps were replaced with panting and heavy breathing.

"Well, it tends to happen when you all have roomed together since junior high… it'll be nice to have all the beds filled again, though."

I blinked a few times, looking down at the bed I sat on. Chase's words bounced around my skull as I gave a light sniff of the air around the bed, noticing that it carried no distinctive scent. It was as if the bed was brand new, like it hadn't been touched in a long time. Turning back to Chase, I noticed his face was downcast, his ears drooped ever so slightly as his eyes were fixated on his paws.

"Yeah, it'll be great to have a full pack! Seeing how lively 701 was all the time was really starting to get on my nerves." Tony exclaimed, shooting up from the dog pile to sit cross legged. "Oh! We may even be able to beat them properly in basketball now! Collot keeps bugging me about it…"

"One step at a time, Tony." Ozzi said, his voice monotoned as he seemed more focused on his book. "Let's get Danny settled in first."

"Ah, good idea there, Ozzi!" Tony exclaimed cheerfully, giving the Coyote a vigorous nod of agreement.

Chase cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his snout as he glanced away from his paws.

"Ozzi's got a point. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, Danny?" He smiled, his gaze settling back on me.

I straightened my back ever so slightly, taking care to not bump my head against the top of the bed.

"Ah… well I'm not really much of the type to brag openly…" I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head instinctively. "Sort of your… standard foreigner I suppose."

"Man, you make it sound so lame!" Mav chuckled, climbing off the floor to reclaim his seat on the bean bag chair. "What I wouldn't give to get out of the school once in a while, let alone go live in another country…"

"Yeah come on, spill the beans! What's your home like?" Pip exclaimed, climbing up to the top of Mav's bean bag chair with relative ease.

"W-well… it's a lot less urban than here. We only have two or three major cities, and I rarely visited them." I replied, clasping my paws together as I hunched over slightly. "I lived out in the country with my mother and grandmother. My… father was still around, though he was busy with work… most of the time. But it was nice, lots of wide-open spaces for my sister and I to play in as kids…"

"Ohhh, a sister." Pip said slyly. "Is she sin- GAH"

Before Pip could finish his sentence, Mav had leaned back in the bean bag chair just enough to cause the Arctic Fox to tumble off the top.

"That sounds pretty nice. I had read your country is very green." Kai stated, his tone still plain and affirmative.

"Aren't there a lot of sheep there as well?" Toni asked, shifting around on the floor slightly to a more comfortable position.

I chuckled lightly.

"A fair few…" I replied. "Though they and the other herbivores stayed around the cities… carnivores kept to the countryside."

"Must have been strange to see how integrated our home is, eh?" Chase said, leaning forward in his bean bag chair.

"Oh! Uh… I kind of… didn't really pay attention…" I said meekly.

Tony snickered lightly, scratching at his face.

"How'd you NOT notice?!"

I replied with a meek shrug, emitting a chuckle myself.

"Suppose I was more focused on not getting lost… Wolfhound's are very task oriented."

Ozzi perked his ears up, turning away from his book for the first time I had sat down on my bed. He turned to look down at me, moving just enough to still be laying on his top bunk.

"I have not heard of a… Wolfhound before. You are a 'dog' though, yes? How were you created?"

_Why did he have to ask…_

My wince at the question must have been obvious, as Chase immediately shot up from the bean bag, waving his paws in a dismissive manner as he approached me.

"Ah-er… come on there Ozzi, you only just met the guy!" He stammered, giving me a pat on the shoulder as he leaned against the bunk.

"But I want to –" Ozzi began before being cut off by Mav, who grabbed a nearby through pillow and chucked it at the Coyote, just barely missing his head.

"Don't mind him, Danny. He's just very… VERY inquisitive sometimes." Mav stated, settling back into his bean bag chair.

"It's alright… reasonable question." I shrugged.

_I don't want to answer._

"Sometimes he forgets some dogs don't like being asked questions like that." Chase added with a nod, hoisting himself up to his bed above mine.

"I've never cared about it…" Tony added, still seated on the floor.

"That's because you're a bit of an air head, Tony." Pip stated after he leapt out from behind Mav, landing straight on the previously occupied bean bag chair that Chase had left for the comfort of his bed.

"Oh… right!" Tony laughed, turning around on the floor towards the TV as Pip switched it on.

My eyes watched as everyone seemed to return to their own activities, patting my knees lightly as I looked down at my still unpacked suitcases, and then to my bed's pillow. In the lull of activity, I could not help but let loose a yawn, my mouth stretching wide along with my arms.

"You must be pretty tired, eh Danny?" Chase asked, leaning over the edge of his bed to look down at me as I finished my yawn.

"I haven't yawned since boarding the plane back home…" I replied, scratching my cheek lightly, loose strands of my grey, scraggly fur floating down onto the floor.

"No need to stay awake on our account then." Chase chuckled, giving me a thumbs up before he returned to laying in his bed, the sound of a books page's turning shortly following. "Got a whole three years to get to know you."

I nodded once, a smaller yawn escaping my lips.

"Well… good night." I said, laying down on my bed, preparing to close the privacy curtain of my bunk.

"Good night!" Everyone said in unison.

_Three years…_

**Story begins a few weeks before the beginning of the anime/manga. Expect later chapters to contain spoilers.**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

_Dreamless._

My eyes opened slowly, the ceiling of my bunk staring back at me in the morning light. That was the first thought that greeted me: the realization of an uneventful sleep. It didn't even feel like I had slept, but merely closed my eyes in some vain effort for that comfort to embrace me.

I lifted my head up off the pillow, realizing I was still in my clothes from the previous day. The last thing I remembered was closing the curtain to my left, the noises of my new roommates quickly drifting from my mind as I laid out on the bed and closed my eyes.

But now I was awake.

I sat up in my bunk, my head immediately bumping against the ceiling as I straightened my back to my full height.

"Son of a bitch…" I growled in English, rubbing my head.

Many of my friends from junior high always remarked how jealous they were of my height, how they wish they could be as tall as the noble Wolfhounds. I'd always smile and humor their praises, giving rides to my smaller classmates, helping them get things off large shelves, all the usual activities taller carnivores participate in. However, whenever they would shower me in compliments, telling me how strong, how proud, how elegant I looked, I'd always be wishing for the opposite.

_Being a tall carnivore is a curse._

"Oi Danny, you awake?" Chase exclaimed, the dull thud of the Doberman hopping off the bunk above mine lightly vibrating the privacy curtain.

I cleared my throat lightly, peeling back the curtain before swinging my legs out onto the floor.

"Mhm. Good morning." I said in Japanese with a nod, still rubbing the top of my head.

"That bump of yours reminded me you were down there." Chase laughed lightly, adjusting his glasses. "You're a really quiet sleeper, you know? Mav could take a few lessons from you."

"Sorry… didn't mean to startle you." I said plainly, taking a moment to look around the dorm room.

Everyone else seemed to be out of the room, their respective bunks in various states of disarray, ranging from well kept to looking like a tornado had blown through the room.

"What time is it?"

Chase reached up onto his bed, grabbing his phone. He gave the screen a light tap with his index claw, humming to himself.

"About ten thirty in the morning. You slept straight through breakfast. Pip and Tony wanted to wake you up, but I figured it'd be a good idea to let you sleep in." He said in a cheery tone, setting the phone back onto his bed before taking a small step over to one of the bean bag chairs and sitting down. "Ozzi had let us know you'd probably sleep for a while due to… ah what's the term…"

"Jet lag?" I grumbled, scratching at my face for a moment.

"Jet lag." Chase snapped his fingers.

"Mmm… well I think I'll live." I said with a shrug. "That bunk will take some getting used to…"

"I call them 'head bangers'. Took me a week to not wake up and immediately bang my own head on the ceiling." Chase nodded. "Smaller animals sure have it easy in these things."

I brushed some fur out of my eyes, giving a single nod of agreement.

"Where's everyone else? There's not classes today, is there?"

"Don't worry, it's still Sunday. No classes, but still plenty of homework to do." Chase replied, leaning forward on the bean bag chair. "They're probably in the library working on a literature report we have due tomorrow."

I nodded again, sitting up from my bunk and giving a good stretch. While the bunk itself was spacious, it felt good to stretch myself to my full height. My bones seemed to agree, as a few light crackles followed suit as I twisted my back a few times for good measure.

"A dog after my own heart. Nothing like a morning stretch." Chase smiled, sitting up from his bean bag chair. "I'd imagine you want to wash up?"

I stopped stretching immediately, my eyes growing wide as I whipped my self around, lifting my arms up high to sniff my armpits. Canines are well known for having a rather pungent body odor at times, especially if they have not washed themselves in a while. My long day of travel was not conducive to letting me shower, and I hoped that Chase hadn't noticed any poor smells because of it.

"That'd be a good idea…" I agreed, wrinkling up my nose as I checked my armpits.

"Right then, there's a washroom down the hall to your right. It's only open from six in the morning to ten at night, but it has everything you'll need: towels, species specific shampoo and bodywash, a shower, and a few toilets, just in case." Chase stated, his tone rather studious and instructive as he pushed his glasses up his snout before continuing. "The showers are 'communal', but there are privacy curtains. You can leave the towel on the hangers reserved for our room."

I nodded several times as Chase spoke, taking the time to unzip one of my suitcases, revealing well ordered stacks of clothing and some personal items. On the top of this suitcase was a medium sized pouch containing all my personal toiletries, namely some toothpaste, a toothbrush, and some spray on deodorant.

"You're extremely well organized." Chase smirked, having leaned over slightly to observe the contents of my suitcase.

"Ah, well… suppose its another Wolfhound thing. We like everything to have a proper spot." I stammered lightly, grabbing hold of my toiletry bag.

"I'm much of the same way myself." Chase smiled, giving me a pat on the back. "After you're finished in the washroom, we can grab some lunch and go on a tour of campus if you'd like."

"I'd like that a lot, actually." I smiled.

Chase returned the smile with a rather toothy one of his own before I turned on a heel, my feet thumping lightly against the wood floor as I walked towards the door.

"Oh, wait a minute." Chase stated, walking after me. "You got a pair of slip on shoes?"

I shook my head, looking down at my bare feet and then back at Chase.

"Here, you can borrow mine. You should get a pair from the student shop. You'll get less fur on your feet with them." Chase said with a light chuckle, grabbing a pair of bright orange open toed shoes from his cupboard and tossing them at me with an underhand throw.

I blinked a few times as he tossed them, just barely catching the shoes with my free paw.

"Hey, good reflexes!" Chase laughed.

I replied with a meek smile as I dropped the shoes on the floor, slipping my feet into them. Surprisingly, they fit well. A bit snug around the toes, but overall it seemed Chase and I were the same foot size.

"Thanks, Chase."

The Doberman responded with a friendly, dismissive wave as I turned towards the door, opening it in a fluid motion. I stepped out into the hallway, looking left and then right as I shut the door behind me.

For a dorm hall filled with teenage carnivores, it was relatively quiet. I had half expected it to be quite rowdy, with all manner of sounds and noises emanating from each of the rooms. Perhaps that was just a symptom of it still being the morning on a weekend no less; many of the students who did not having pressing matters were probably still sleeping.

Looking left and right once again, I remembered Chase's directions and heading down the hall to the right. The rubber slip on shoes squeaked ever so slightly as I walked down the hall, my floppy ears twitching with each step, my head turning from side to side as I read out each of the room numbers, hoping that the washroom would have a telling sign near its door.

Sure enough, about six rooms down from my dorm, I found the washroom. It was clearly marked, in Japanese of course; its door was quite large as well. I assumed it was accommodating for every carnivore present on the floor, from the tallest of bears to the smallest of foxes. There was even another set of doorknobs lower to the floor for smaller animals.

I chuckled to myself before opening the door. Immediately, a wave of humidity and moisture hit my sense of smell. I stepped into the washroom, making sure the door closed behind me as my fur began to poof up. Steam clung to the ceiling, a sign that the showers had been used quite recently.

The washroom itself was about as mundane as I had expected. Along the wall to my immediate right was a series of sinks, ten to be exact, nestled in a long countertop and aligned against a large mirror that spanned the entire length of the wall. To the left was the entrance to the showers, as well as four toilet stalls. Several drains lined the floor in its center, and the entire floor seemed to subtly slant inwards toward the drains.

I took a deep breath, the steamy, humid air clearing out my nostrils. I had always enjoyed the comforting feeling a nice, hot shower brought. They always cleared my mind and focused my thoughts, if only for a moment; not to mention they kept my fur from getting too matted and scraggly.

With a content sigh, I walked over to the nearest sink, setting my toiletry bag on the countertop and looking at myself in the mirror. My grey, almost curly fur was getting quite long it seemed. I ran my fingers through it, a few clumps of my winter coat falling into the sink below. At the very least, a good trimming around my eyes would be needed, and a trim around my mouth. I gently tugged at the fur covering my upper lips, its length making me look quite older than I was, I imagined.

_Maybe I should dye my fur sometime…_

Most Wolfhounds had a grey coat, speckled with lighter and darker shades throughout. Both my father and mother had light coats themselves, leading to me inheriting an overall light grey coat, with a few hints of darker shades usually developing around my eyes and mouth. I took a moment to unbutton my collared shirt, pulling it up over my head and setting it on the counter. Save for a small tuft of white fur on my chest, the grey was never ending.

_No doubt I'll be mistaken for a grey wolf…_

One would think the floppy ears and rounder muzzle would be telling enough to give other animals pause when first seeing me. But even back home, many would first assume I was a grey wolf, perhaps a mixed breed at least. It's not a classification I am ashamed of having, as it seemed to have deterred a fair bit of bullying other dogs experience. I am often told to be proud of the heritage I share with wolves. Afterall, they are the ancestors to all dogs. Without them, the dog species would have never come to exist.

_But…_

I sighed heavily; my eyes still fixated on my own face in the mirror.

_This face… this body… it's all artificial…_

"Are you okay?" A reserved, yet deep and almost commanding voice asked to my right.

My heart skipped a beat as I jumped slightly, my head whipping towards the source of the voice: a Grey Wolf. He was two sinks down from me, his posture somewhat hunched over as he appeared to have just entered the washroom, a small bag of personal items sprawled out on the countertop. He held a large toothbrush in paw, his head hung low.

"Sorry… did not mean to startle you." He said calmly, his eyes unmoving as they remained fixated on me. "Are you a new student?"

"No, it's fine." I chuckled softly, rubbing the back of my head. "I uh… just didn't hear you come in. I just arrived yesterday. I'm Danny, from room 700."

The Wolf's right ear flicked lightly upon hearing me speak.

"You're across the hall from us, then." He said, turning back to the mirror to begin brushing his teeth.

_He must be from room 701…_

I watched as he brushed his teeth, observing his mannerisms closely. This was the first Grey Wolf I had seen in several years. My junior high had had a few upperclassmen that were of the species, but they all graduated shortly after I had arrived. His scent was unmistakably that of a wolf, but his mannerisms, the way he seemed to move and conduct himself as he brushed his teeth, was very… odd. It was reserved, self-conscious, his arm movements quite slow and methodical as if he was thinking about each of them before. Many carnivores tend to move in exaggerated ways when amongst other carnivores, often flashing their teeth excessively when speaking, making little effort to hide their imposing features. But this Wolf seemed to be acting as if there was an herbivore in the washroom with us. He was holding himself back.

My train of thought was cut off when the Wolf spat into the sink.

"It gets busier in here during the school week." He said, still carrying the same tone of voice: a reserved carnivore. "It's best to be quick."

I blinked a few times.

"Right, right." I said with a sheepish smile. "Thanks for the advice…"

"Legosi." He said with a nod, turning back to me after he had packed up his personal items.

"Thanks, Legosi." I replied, returning the nod.

Legosi the Grey Wolf checked that his bag was zipped up before walking towards the door. His movements as reserved as his tone, he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, closing it behind him.

_What a strange wolf…_

* * *

"How're you doing there, Danny?" Chase snickered as the two of us stepped out into the mid-morning air.

"Do we really have to wear suspenders?" I groaned, fiddling with the elasticity of the pair of suspenders I had clasped onto the pin stripe pants.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to them." Chase continued his snickering, certainly having a blast watching me get used to the school uniform. "In the summer months most students wear our polo shirts, so you won't have to worry about suspenders then."

"I'd rather wear the polo right now and be cold…" I sighed, finally having gotten the suspenders adjusted to allow me to stand up straight in relative comfort.

"Lighten up." Chase smiled. "You don't look half bad in the uniform."

"Gee, thanks." I rolled my eyes at the compliment.

"You're welcome. Now then, behind us is the male carnivore dorm, obviously. It's one of the four dorm buildings on school grounds, the other three being the female carnivore dorm, and then the male and female herbivore dorms. They are the only truly segregated areas of the campus, so make sure you pay attention to which one you're entering."

While Chase had been speaking, he had made a grand motion to the building behind us, my own body turning around to look up at the veritable tower, and the three other ones near it. They each formed a square in their placement and seemed to sit on the eastern edge of the campus.

"Last thing I'd want to hear about is how a dumb foreign carnivore walked into the herbivore dorms." Chase smirked.

I rubbed the back of my head, wincing at the mere thought of what Chase had suggested.

"Walking along this way," Chase motioned to our left. "Will take you to most of your classes, the auditorium, cafeteria, and the club houses."

I turned back to look at our dorm building for a moment, and then looked back to Chase, noticing that he had already begun walking towards the other set of buildings. In a few short strides of my own, I began walking alongside him.

We first passed by one of the herbivore dorms, made obvious by the sudden feeling of being watched.

"That's the male herbivore dorm to our right," Chase explained, looking to our right. "Seems you're drawing a lot of eyes…"

The fur on my back bristled. I craned my neck to the right, noticing that most of the herbivore students who were out and about seemed to be looking me over. Hushed whispers, quick glances, it was the whole package.

_A living hell…_

"Jeez, I don't think I've seen them get so worked up before…" Chase exclaimed softly. "They're acting like they've never seen a dog."

"More likely they are trying to figure out if I am a wolf or a dog…" I groaned softly, pinching the bridge of my snout. "They never think to just come over and ask me."

"I'd have thought the floppy ears would have disqualified your 'wolfishness' out of the gate." Chase gave my left ear a light tug.

"You would think, hm?" I nodded, hunching over slightly. "Suppose it's nice to know some things don't change."

No doubt I would be the first Wolfhound many of the herbivore students would have seen. First reactions were always governed by two factors: do they think I am a dog, or a wolf? Despite being carnivores, many herbivores seemed to be more partial to interacting with dogs. Perhaps it was the general sunny disposition many of the dog species seemed to have. Or maybe it was our 'friendlier' looking mannerisms. Perhaps it was simply for the inherent fact that dogs are considered more intelligent amongst carnivores that makes them seem so amicable.

Whatever the case, whether an herbivore saw me as a dog first, or a wolf first, usually governed how well the interaction proceeded.

"Well, you won't have to worry about introducing yourself that much. Word travels fast amongst the herbivores, so you'll be well known in no time." Chase said while giving me a light nudge with his elbow. "I doubt they'll give you a hard time anyhow, what with you being a carnivore and all…"

"The classes aren't segregated, right?" I asked, letting out another sigh of relief as we moved past the dormitory area, the path now being flanked on either side by lines of trees, the next building fast approaching.

"Mhm. Completely integrated school space. Cherryton is actually one of the few boarding schools in the city that still isn't segregated. Herbivores and carnivores, working and learning together. Even some of the clubs are integrated, the most notable being the drama club."

Both of my ears twitched. As we continued walking, stepping into a larger courtyard area, I turned to look at Chase.

"A-are you in the drama club?"

"Me? No, I'm not. They're quite selective in who they let in. Rumor has it all members are 'scouted' and only invited to join…" Chase stopped walking abruptly, turning on a heel to face me. Behind his wire framed glasses, I noticed his brown eyes squint.

"You were scouted for the drama club, weren't you?"

I stood looking straight at Chase for a moment before turning my head to the left, my shoulders sinking lower.

"I-it's not a bad thing, is it?"

"A bad thing?" Chase let out a laugh. "Your naivety is very refreshing, Danny."

I turned back to Chase, scratching my head lightly."

"So…."

With a light punch to my shoulder, and another laugh from Chase, I had my answer.

"It's not a bad thing, Danny. Far from it, it's quite a prestigious honor here at Cherryton. The performances of the drama club put on always make the school newspapers, and even draws the attention of the outside world. What position are you going to work in the club?"

"I'm… not sure." I chuckled lightly, straighten my shoulders. "I received the invitation after my junior high's opening night performance of _MacBark_. I was only a supporting character in the play, but I'd assume they'll put me in as an actor…"

"Well congratulations. You'll have to let the rest of the guys know as well." Chase smiled. "Let us know whenever you get an acting role too."

I returned the compliment with a small smile of my own.

"Thanks, Chase."

With his standard, friendly dismissive wave of his paw, Chase turned around, motioning to the large building we had stopped before.

"You'll get pretty familiar with this building, especially since you'll be a star actor. This is the cafeteria, auditorium, and library building. The entrance to the cafeteria is along the side of the building, while the entrance to the auditorium is out front. There's a few of the larger lecture halls in this building as well, and a skybridge connecting it to the school's main building, which is just to our left."

I remained silent for a moment, looking the building over. It bore a similar architectural style to both the main schoolhouse and the dorm buildings, though it had added flare with the addition of large marble columns around the main entrance. The skybridge seemed to connect both buildings via their second level.

"I'd give you a tour of the school itself, but they keep it closed on weekends." Chase shrugged. "You up to grab a bite to eat? It's about lunch time, and I'd bet the other guys can join us."

I looked back to chase and nodded.

"Lead the way."

* * *

Like most schools, a cafeteria is a hub of activity. All manner of sounds, sights, and smells can be found within its coveted halls.

Cherryton was no different.

It was my first time seeing such an integrated space. Carnivores and herbivores, both small and large, all walking, talking, and eating together. I had half expected to find most students segregating themselves, keeping to their respective peers, but it seemed to be that the majority actively sought the company of their opposites. Societal boundaries seemed to be crossed without a second thought in this school's cafeteria.

Before Chase and I had sat down at a one of the many tables, he had been kind enough to give me a run down on how the school meals function: three meals a day are served, every day of the week. There is two separate menus for each month as well, both tailored to suit a carnivore diet or an herbivore diet. He said they usually do a good job alternating the meals offered, catering to everyone's tastes, but admitted that if you don't like what is being offered, the school store stocks some pre-made meals supplied by a local grocery store.

"Oh hey, here come the rest of the guys." Chase said, giving me a nudge as I prodded the bean steak curry with a fork.

I looked up from my food tray, giving Tony, Ozzi, Mav, and Pip a friendly wave as they approached. The three of them, save for Ozzi, let out a collective sigh as they took up the remaining seats at our table, each of them setting their trays down before taking off their backpacks.

"We FINALLY got that report done!" Tony, Mav, and Pip exclaimed together.

"You all took your sweet time with it." Chase teased, scooping some of the curry into his mouth.

"It would have gone by quicker if you or bookworm here had let us look at your reports!" Mav grumbled, pointing to both Chase and Ozzi respectively before digging into his own meal.

"You will never learn if you keep wanting to cheat." Ozzi said plainly, taking a moment to neatly order his utensils.

"Good to see that you're awake, Danny! You sure did sleep like a rock!" Tony exclaimed, beaming an ear to ear smile at me before he began to eat.

"Though if you sniff that curry anymore you may as well kiss it." Pip chuckled.

I sat up in my chair, giving a light shrug as I scooped up a portion of the curry.

"I've never had a curry before now…" I stated before slurping up the portion, swishing the food around in my mouth before swallowing.

"Well? What do you think?" Pip asked mid-chew, bits of curry splattering onto the table.

"It's good. Reminds me of a bean and rice risotto my grandmother makes, though spicier."

"The spice is the best part, bro!" Mav said cheerfully before taking a large bite out of a piece of bread included with the meal.

"Debatable." Ozzi interjected. "The savory-ness of the sauce is paramount."

"It's curry, Ozzi, it's supposed to be spicy." Mav shot back after swallowing his bite of bread.

"Guys, please don't spend this whole lunch arguing about the food again." Chase sighed.

"I'm not arguing…" Mav grumbled as he returned to eating his curry.

Ozzi smiled ever so lightly before he returned to eating as well, taking small, decisive bites.

"What was the report about?" I asked, popping the top to the carton of milk the lunch had come with.

"Oh! It was a 'literary analysis' on the themes of the tragedy _MacBark_! We had just finished reading it this past week! I liked it!" Tony piped up excitedly, having been the first one to finish eating his meal.

My ears perked slightly at the name; already certain what Chase was going to mention, I cast a quick glance over to him, his expression confirming my suspicions.

_Don't you dare…_

Mav let out a "meh" as he returned to eating his curry.

"The way that Snakespeare guy wrote it was such a headache to read though. Felt like I was having a stroke…"

"Danny's pretty familiar with _MacBark_, you know. He was an actor in a performance of it his junior high put on." Chase stated with a grin in between bites. "And he'll be in the Cherryton Drama Club."

A brief, fleeting silence fell over our table, before the rest of the guys began handing out congratulations.

"Hey! That's great, Danny! You look the type!" Tony exclaimed in his expected energetic tone.

"Who'd you play in your production?" Ozzi asked, looking up from his tray.

"It wasn't that big of a role… I was Barquo." I smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

"Hey, that's a pretty significant role, Danny." Chase interjected. "You were basically MacBark's foil."

"Yeah, no wonder you got accepted into the drama club! Must have been a good performance." Pip nodded in agreement.

I shrugged lightly, setting my fork off to the side and pushing my tray forward slightly, taking to leaning back in the chair.

"Guess we're going to witness the rise of the next Louis, guys." Mav snickered lightly. "Maybe even the first foreign Beastar of the school, too!"

Everyone else at the table joined in on the laughter, save for me. My left year flicked lightly at the name and the term as I sat up in my chair, an obviously confused expression on my face. Chase, amidst his own chuckling, noticed my expression and turned in his chair to face me.

"Ah, sorry Danny, you probably have no clue who or what that is right?"

I nodded my head.

"Well…" Chase was cut off mid-sentence by Pip.

"Louis is a 'Richy Rich' type guy, a Red Deer third year. He's the star actor of the Drama Club, and practically has every single girl in this school wanting to get in his pants… Man I wish that was me…"

"As crude as that sounds, Pip's basically right." Chase continued with a sigh as Mav and Tony had another good chuckle. "He's got serious acting chops and will most likely become the next Beastar of the school."

"So what's a…" I began to ask before being cut off by Mav.

"The Beastar is just some honorific title used by the boarding schools in the area. Sort of like an 'honor roll' student. Each year school staff chooses a student who's exceptional at bridging the societal gaps between herbivores and carnivores in a show of unity." He explained. "I think it's a scam, really. Just your standard political bullshit."

"There has not been a Beastar for almost five years now, however." Ozzi added, having finished his lunch.

"Well… that's interesting." I shrugged lightly. "Does it come with any perks, or is it just an award for exceptional students?"

"I bet it looks good on a resume!" Tony nodded.

"You hear of any thing similar back home, Danny?" Chase asked as he leaned back in his chair.

I immediately shook my head.

"Never have… though I went to a relatively small school in the country, so… maybe it's a thing in the cities?"

"Mmhm. Well, either way, you'll have to give us the inside scoop into what Louis is REALLY like." Mav grinned. "Guys like that always put on a mask in public. Hell, they're almost like some carnivores in that regard."

_Putting on a mask…_

"Anyhow, want to head back to the room, bros?" Mav asked with a content sigh, noticing that everyone's trays were devoid of food.

Everyone, including myself, nodded in agreement. We each sat up from the table, pushing our chairs back and taking our trays in hand. As I followed the guys to the trash area, I took one last look around the cafeteria, my focus being drawn to the carnivores specifically.

_A mask…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_I really hate unpacking…_

After coming back to the room, it seemed like a good idea to start unpacking my luggage. Three suitcases, a duffle bag, and a backpack did not strike me as "excessive" when I was at home, but now that I must unpack it all, excessive does seem like the right word.

Lack of space in the room was not an issue, thankfully. My cupboard space near the door was more than adequate to store my school uniforms and a few casual clothes. There were also a few drawers included in the space as well, which served nicely as temporary storage for out of season clothes, namely more casual summer attire. Each suitcase I'd finish unpacking would be stacked inside a small closet in the room, along with everyone else's luggage.

What annoyed me about the process was that each article of clothing reminded me that I was here to stay.

_Three years._

That phrase echoed in my mind with each shirt hung, each pant folded and tucked away.

In the grand scheme of things, three years at a prestigious boarding school in a foreign country should not sound that bad. In fact, many of my friends back home expressed as much to me, joking they'd gladly take my place.

_You're going to have a great time over there Danny!_

_Man, you're so lucky!_

_There's going to be so many hot babes over there, you'll have a blast!_

All their comments, their songs of praise and compliments reverberated inside my head. I knew they were right. I understood that I was given the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance that few in this world are afforded: the chance to immerse myself in another culture, the chance to reinvent myself and my world view.

It was the same chance that my father had been given.

_You will do this to better the family, Daniel. _

He'd always say that, and nothing else. Despite my many words of protests, my many suggestions otherwise, he'd only give that simplest of acknowledgements.

_Sending me halfway across the world is such a -_

In the middle of my unpacking, a series of knocks on our room's door ripped me from my thoughts.

"I'll get it!" Tony exclaimed, practically lunging across the room. He was followed closely by Pip and Mav, adhering to the age-old trait of many canines: visitors are great.

Only moving slightly from my sitting position, I peered my head around the corner into our entry hall, watching as the three canines fought briefly over who would open the door. Tony, being the largest of the three, and the first to have reached the door, managed to open it, revealing a large Bengal Tiger and almost equally large Bald Eagle. The Tiger had been preparing to knock again, and quickly pulled the hand around to scratch the back of his head.

"Hi! What can we do for you?" Tony asked, eyes beaming and darting between the two carnivores.

"Sorry to interrupt you all!" The Tiger chuckled heartily. "We're second-year students from the Drama Club. We were told there's a new member in this here dorm."

"And we figured he didn't know we were practicing tonight." The eagle added as he peered into the room. "Is uh… Bill, what was his name?"

"Damnit Aoba, I thought you'd have written it down!" The Tiger exclaimed. "I think it starts with a D"-

"DANNY! YOU GOT VISITORS!" Pip shouted.

The vocal range of the small Fox was enough to cause me to fall over from sheer surprise, much to the enjoyment of my roommates, as a round of snickers echoed through the room.

"That's your man." Mav remarked amidst the snickers.

Raising up a single paw, I offered a half-hearted wave as I sat up. Before heading over to the door, I took a moment to close the open drawers under my bunk and placed my still unpacked duffel bag on top of my bed.

"Hi, I'm Danny." I remarked in Japanese as I walked over to the door, extending my paw to the Tiger, Bill.

Bill glanced down at my outstretched paw, then back to me, and then looked at the paw again.

"What? Is that how you address a second-year, newbie?" He remarked coldly. "And what's with the paw? You want something from me?"

My tail and my ears both drooped as I kept my paw outstretched, my thoughts booming against my skull.

_Oh God damnit Danny! Great first impression, completely forgetting proper customs and-_

After what seemed to be an eternity filled with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, Bill let out another hearty laugh. His own paw clasped mine in a tight grip, giving it a firm shake as he also gave me a firm pat on the shoulder.

"I'm just screwing with you, newbie." He smiled as my ears and tail returned to their normal, relaxed position. "No worries about being all formal with me. Stick with Bill!"

"And I suppose the same'll work for me." Aoba replied, chuckling lightly along with Bill.

"Well it's nice to meet the both of you," I began, glancing back into our room for a moment, "but I have a bit more unpacking to get done. Any chance I can just go to tom"-

"No chance, newbie!" Bill cut me off. "The Chief wants you involved right this minute."

Aoba nodded in agreement as I sighed softly.

"Alright, give me a second." I stepped back into our room, kneeling next to where I placed my sets of shoes.

I opted to slip on the school uniform loafers rather than my pair of more casual shoes. After slipping them on and ensuring the laces were secure, I sat back up, turning slightly to look back into the room.

"See you guys later."

"Have fun Danny!" Echoed Chase, Mav, Pip, Ozzi, and Tony, all in varying tones.

* * *

The walk to Club Building Three seemed to last forever under the setting sun. Bill, who I have now learned to be an extremely eccentric Tiger, took great pride in talking non-stop. He asked me every question he could: from where I came from to what kind of girls I liked. It truly seemed like this cat had no filter.

Aoba, on the other hand, seemed a complete foil to Bill's antics. He remained quiet for most of the walk from the dorms to the club building. There was a question from him every now and then, but it mostly came whenever Bill stopped to catch his breath. His own questions followed the standard line of dialogue as well, though did stray away from the more personal questions, unlike Bill.

Both, however, seemed to get along well. It was easy to tell they were friends just by looking at the way they spoke and interacted with each other. And it did seem they held a genuine interest in me beyond that required by their position as second year students. I did my best to return their interest with enthusiastic answers, and a few questions of my own.

Our walk provided a good opportunity to learn more about the drama club and its activities. Both Aoba and Bill filled me in on the structure of the club itself, revealing a rather rigid hierarchy not too dissimilar to my own club in junior high. Each of the five main departments were led by one third year student, with the president of the club serving as director for its performances and the general organizer for the club. With me joining the Actor's Pool, I would report directly to Louis for all official matters.

"You may also be shadowing one of the third- or second-year actors as well." Aoba added as the three of us walked down a flight of stairs that led into the club house section of campus.

"Why's that?" I asked, tilting my head to the side slightly.

"It will help you to adjust your own acting style to better fit our audience." Bill replied. "Coming from a foreign country, there's going to be a few nuances you'll have to pick up on if you really want to shine on stage."

"And it will help you ease into how we do things." Aoba said with a smile.

"I… suppose that makes sense." I nodded in agreement, making sure to keep pace with the two upperclassmen as we neared the club house. "I've never actually had to act while speaking your language…"

"What, never?" Aoba asked.

"Never." I replied with a shake of my head. "All our performances were in English."

"So, what made you come to Cherryton, then?" Aoba's tone was laced with curiosity.

Bill nodded in agreement to the question. As we approached building three, the two second-year students were both looking at me, expecting an answer.

"Aha… well… it's sort of a… family thing." I answered nervously, my paw instinctively rubbing the back of my head as I felt their stares driving further into me like a knife. "My uh… great grandfather grew up in this country and… attended this school before moving to Ireland. Family tradition… I suppose."

Aoba and Bill continued staring at me for a moment, before nodding and letting out soft chuckles.

"Make's sense, I suppose." Aoba chuckled as he opened building three's main entrance.

"Your family must be pretty loaded to be able to afford sending you halfway across the world for high school!" Bill remarked in his happy, go-lucky tone.

I followed behind Bill, letting him enter the building first. Aoba brought up the rear, closing the door behind us. The main hall of the building seemed to stretch its entire length, making it the main thoroughfare to get to the other rooms. Both the right and left walls were lined with posters and shelves containing all manner of trophies; it seemed to serve as a living timeline of the clubs' activities, with some of the framed posters and trophies dating back many years. Most of the posters seemed to bear some artistic representation of a singular figure bearing a wide brimmed hat and an imposing mask made up to resemble a skull of a deer or horse-like species. In bold script appeared a single name: Adler.

The more recent series of posters caught my eye, as it seemed for the past few years this Adler character had been played by none other than Louis, the titular Red Deer of the drama club Chase and the others had talked about. No doubt it was Louis' performance as this Adler that had given him so much fame around the school.

"We found the newbie!" Bill exclaimed, stopping abruptly in front of a set of double doors he had swung open on our left side.

His abrupt stop caused me to nearly run into his backside. I managed to just barely stop myself, turning awkwardly towards the now opened door.

"Ah excellent!" An older looking Pelican smiled. "Gather around everyone! We can start the rehearsal now!"

The practice room for the Drama Club erupted into commotion as each member formed a semi-circle around the main entrance. Most everyone had focused their attention on Bill when the door had initially flung open, but I had felt their eyes immediately shift to me as I stood awkwardly in the doorframe. I took the brief respite before introductions were made to glance over the club members, noticing that there was a relatively even spread between herbivore and carnivore students.

Everyone was mostly wearing what appeared to be the school's tracksuit, minus the jacket itself and instead opting for a simple white t-shirt. I seemed to meet the gaze of every member present, with the carnivore students returning my stare and the herbivore students glancing away quickly; quite the common phenomenon in our society. There was one student I did recognize, and we both seemed to stare at each other for an equal amount of time. It was the same wolf I had spoken too in the washroom this morning: Legosi. He had sequestered himself off to the left side of the gathered group, keeping his posture relatively hunched. When our eyes met, we both seemed to offer a slight nod.

"Right then! Sorry for keeping you all waiting," the Pelican began, having positioned himself in the center of the gathered students. "As Bill announced, we have a new member joining us. Daniel – san, why don't you introduce yourself?"

My ears perked up as I stepped out from the doorframe, entering the room fully.

"H-hello clubmates, I'm Daniel O'Conner, though you can just call me Danny." I said with a smile, bowing slightly. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you all during my time here."

A resounding "Hi Danny" echoed from the gathered students, with a mixture of simple "Yo's" or "Hello's" just barely heard.

"As you all can probably tell from his accent, Danny is one of the new foreign students at the school. I am sure you will all do your best to give him a warm welcome and make him feel at home." The Pelican said with a firm nod, looking over the students. "He will be joining the actors pool, though with the roles cast for the Welcome Performance, we'll keep him as a 'floater'… Dom, your department still needs assistance with the costumes, correct?"

A brightly colored and rather tall Peafowl perked up.

"Yes, we do, Sanu – sensei!" He exclaimed happily; his voice was quite high in pitch but oddly soothing. "I'll make good use of you, Danny – san."

I chuckled lightly along with a few others.

"Excellent." Sanu, the Pelican, replied. "Aside from that, Danny will also be shadowing a more senior member of the actors pool. Japanese is not his native language, so observing our rehearsals closely will better help him to adjust his own styles and mannerisms. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

The gathered students remained quiet for a moment, everyone glancing around, waiting to see who would put their paw up. Personally, I half expected either Bill or Aoba to raise their hand, but looking to my right and left, I saw them remain quiet. I cleared my throat softly, casting a sideways, "what gives" glance to Bill. As he responded with a shrug, I noticed a paw go up out of the corner of my eye.

"I'll let Danny shadow me." Stated a timid, yet affirmative voice from an older looking male Alpaca.

_Oh no…_

"Thank you, Tem!" Sanu smiled. "I couldn't have asked for someone more suited."

"It's no biggy!" Tem, the Alpaca student, laughed, lowering his hand

_Why'd it have to be an herbivore…_

Fidgeting slightly, I clearing my throat again as I offered a reserved, almost meek smile to Tem. He returned it with a friendly one.

_Why…. Why did it have to be an herbivore?!_

"Alright, that's our announcements out of the way!" Sanu nodded, lowering the clipboard he had been holding. "We'll take a quick fifteen minutes to setup for Act 3 Scene 1's rehearsal!"

My fur bristled as everyone began to go about their preparations. I turned to my right and left, watching as Bill and Aoba entered the practice room, both giving me a friendly smile.

"I hope I didn't send Bill and Aoba for you at an inopportune time, Danny – san." Sanu smiled as he walked over to me, extending his right wing for a proper greeting.

"Ah… i-it was no problem, Sanu – sensei." I chuckled lightly, taking his wing in paw and giving a firm shake. "I was basically done unpacking when they arrived at my dorm."

"Ohhh, your Japanese is so refined!" He remarked happily. "The last foreign student we had in the club could barely manage more than a few of the basics! We spent more time teaching him the language than we did having him act."

"You're too kind." I smiled, rubbing the back of my head. "My parents made certain I was well prepared to attend Cherryton… though I'm unsure of how I'll do up on the stage when the time comes…"

"I think you'll do great, Danny – san." Tem interjected, having walked over to Sanu and I while we spoke. "You have a very… noble appearance about you."

_I've never had a working relationship with an herbivore! I've barely talked to one for longer than a few minutes!_

"Well put, Tem." Sanu nodded in agreement. "Danny – san, this is who you'll be shadowing. Tem is one of our top second year actors. I'd dare say he'll be the next Louis!"

"Oh, thank you Sanu – sensei!" Tem chuckled. "That means a lot!"

"It's the truth." Sanu replied, chuckling along with the Alpaca. "I'll leave you two to get to know each other while I go speak with Louis. Why don't you tell him more about the show we will be putting on, Tem?"

_What do I do?! I don't want to make him nervous!_

"Okay, Sensei!" Tem said with a nod as Sanu headed back into the practice room, walking towards a lone door on the left side of the elevated stage. "Danny – san, have you ever seen a performance of _Adler_? Do they do shows of it in your country?"

_How do I talk to him?! Oh god, don't stutter!_

"I-I think they put on a few in Dublin." I stuttered. "I… uh… haven't read into it much…"

_Fuck! Do I maintain eye contact with him?!_

"Well, no need to worry! It's a pretty simple story." Tem smiled. "Here, follow me. I left my copy of the script near the stage. Reading it will help you understand it better!"

_Should I crouch down when talking to him?! Would that be rude since he's smaller than me?! Oh, he's moving! Don't overtake him!_

Tem walked across the practice room without a care as I followed behind him while I thought about each step I took, ensuring I was not going to step in front of the Alpaca. His script was sitting on the edge of the room's stage, resting open on a heavily highlighted page. In one fluid motion, Tem picked up the script and handed it to me.

"Sorry for all the highlighting." Tem chuckled, hoisting himself up onto the stage, his feet dangling over the edge as he watched me look it over. "It helps me keep track of my parts, and with my note taking."

"N-no it's fine… my scripts usually look like t-this after some time." I chuckled slightly, keeping my eyes focused on the script, squatting down on the padded floor.

_Stop your stuttering! He's going to think you're nervous… wait why am I nervous?!_

"So, the main plot of the story follows Adler the Reaper, a grim reaper sent to fetch the soul of a girl, Ellen, destined to die. However, Ellen manages to convince Adler to grant her a death in a place of her choosing, which gets the spirit world all riled up. Spirits of the three main elements, fire, water, and air are tasked to hunt them down to restore the natural order as Adler and Ellen travel to find the perfect place for her to die. In the end, they both perish, though not after learning to appreciate life." Tem explained the plot with a clear understanding. He did not stumble over his words and recalled it as if having written it himself.

"It's a tragedy…" I observed, looking up from the script to Tem, our eyes meeting.

Most herbivores, when meeting eye to eye with someone they don't really know or a carnivore, look away quickly. But not Tem. He held his gaze to mine without fear or hesitation, just a simple smile.

"A very popular one at that." Tem added. "Kind of like… _Rameo and Jackalet _or _MacBark_! You must have heard of those plays, seeing as it was written by Snakespeare."

_He's not looking away…_

I lowered the script as we continued to speak, my nerves calming as we looked each other eye to eye, beast to beast.

"I was actually in a production of _MacBark_."

_I didn't stutter…_

"Oh, you were?" Tem asked, leaning forward slightly.

"It was the last play I acted in back home." I nodded. "I played Barquo, MacBark's close friend who he ended up murdering due to the prophecy they both heard."

"Wow, that's a pretty big role! Was there any footage of the performance?"

"Mhmm, though I'll have to find it on my computer… what about you? You're playing this 'Water Spirit Odea' character… what's the role like?" I asked, looking at the script again to get the name right.

_I don't feel nervous anymore…_

Tem paused a moment, tapping his chin as he considered the question.

"Well, it is a very fun role. Water Spirit Odea is sort of the 'boss' of the three spirits sent after Adler and Ellen. He's the main villain, as he sees Adlers treatment of Ellen to be a great slight against the natural order. It's not really a role you'd expect an Alpaca to get, so I'm trying my best to live up to it."

_I don't have a reason to be nervous…_

"Sounds like you have the right motivation behind it." I smiled, handing the script back to Tem. "My old chief always stressed that actors should… how's the best way to put this…"

The proper phrasing was not coming to me with the Japanese language, and I resorted to speaking English.

"Find the soul of their performance." I nodded firmly, the change to my native language feeling quite refreshing. "Oh… can you understand me?"

Tem let out a laugh as he nodded.

"Most of us learned to speak English in grade school." He replied, the Japanese accent, while thick, not hindering his pronunciation of the foreign language.

I laughed along with him as I shifted into a more comfortable seated position, my head just barely level with Tem as he continued to let his feet dangle from the edge of the stage.

"That's refreshing to hear… I've been learning your language since I was in grade school, but it still takes a lot of focus for me to speak it constantly. It feels like I've taken my shoes off after a long, hard day's work right now!"

"If it is more comfortable… we can speak English when… together." Tem offered, taking more time to consider his words as he continued to speak English.

"No, no! I don't want to be that much of a burden." I waved my hand dismissively, having cleared my throat before switching back to Japanese.

"Every now and then… then?" Tem asked in English.

I let a small laugh out at his choice of words before giving a firm nod.

"Every now and then."

"Tem – kun!" A female Zebra called from a little way across the room, near a wall lined with mirrors. "I want to do a dry run of our scene before Sanu gets back!"

While both Tem and I had turned to look at the calling student, I noticed she remained fixated on Tem alone. Her eyes strained to only look at Tem, refusing to even notice me looking at her.

"Ah! Of course, Ellen – chan!" Tem replied in Japanese, hoping down from the stage as I sat up from the floor. "You don't mind, do you Danny?"

"No, not at all." I smiled, offering Ellen a small, simple wave.

She continued to avert her gaze, staying focused on Tem as he walked over.

_He's not like the other herbivores…_

"You'll learn a lot from Tem." A familiar reserved, yet deep voice said from behind me.

Turning on a heel, I came face to face with Legosi, that same strange Grey Wolf who spoke to me in the dormitory washroom.

"Ah… Legosi, right?" I asked, offering a friendly smile to the hunched over carnivore. Though he was only a few inches taller than me, he seemed to have a habit of slouching to speak with those shorter than him.

"Mmhm." He nodded once. "All the other carnivores are busy… so I was wondering if you could help me move that light up into place?"

His long, bony finger pointed over to a brand-new spotlight just a few feet away from us. It was already wired into the lighting fixture above, and simply needed to be hoisted up and secured to the rafter.

"Sure! I'd be happy to help."

Legosi's lips curled into a slight smile before he too turned on a heel, his longer stride carrying him over to a small ladder nestled against the back wall. I followed closely behind him, watching as he climbed the ladder with relative ease before mounting it myself.

"Be careful on the last rung." He called from the rafter. "I fell my first time climbing it…"

Heeding his advice, I made sure my footing was firm before climbing the final bit, pulling my body up onto the narrow catwalk. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dimmer lighting as I swung my legs up onto the walkway.

"Wow, this is a lot higher up than it looked…" I mused, looking over the small, waist height railing and down onto the practice floor.

"It's nice though… you get a good view of everyone working." Legosi replied, checking the cables that were running down to the light we would be pulling up. "I spend most of my time up here during practices…"

"What, all alone? I'd have taken you for one of the actors."

I noticed Legosi's fur bristle slightly. He let out a strained chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.

"No no no, I'm not an actor… I'm way to awkward for that!" He waved one of his paws dismissively, his tone flustered and a bit louder than what I've heard. "I'd probably mess up all my lines anyway. No, I'm in charge of the lighting… let's get this light in place."

Both of us sat up, with Legosi grabbing hold of a large black cable. I followed suit, gripping the cable just behind Legosi.

"Ah… that would explain you installing the lights." I nodded. "How long have you been at Cherryton, then?"

Legosi began to pull back on the cable, causing the light to slowly rise off the padded ground. I mimicked his movements closely, making sure I kept a firm grip as we began to move in tandem.

"Since junior high." He huffed, the light now dangling freely as we pulled it up further. "I'm a second year."

"So that'd make you my… senpai, right?" I grunted.

_This light is a lot heavier than I thought… _

"You don't have to call me that." Legosi replied, the softest of chuckles slipping out amidst our huffs and puffs. "Just Legosi is fine, Danny – san."

"Well, then don't worry about the formalities with me either… just call me Dan- WOAH"

The light had nearly reached the rafters when a knot in the cabling managed to hook itself around a piece of the lighting fixture. Legosi and I failed to notice until we both continued trying to pull it up, and had the black cable slip out of our combined grasp. In a scramble to catch the light fixture, we both reached over the waist high railing, managing to catch the light at the same time.

"Eh – What're you two doing up there?" A female Cheetah called from below, having heard my shout that drew most everyone's attention up to the rafters.

"S-sorry for the disruption Shiira – senpai!" Legosi called as we both breathed a sigh of relief, our bodies dangling over the railing as we began to pull the light back up.

"Y-yeah, sorry!" I called out, slowly pulling myself back over the railing and turning to look at Legosi. "Hells bells… t-that was close."

Legosi had a firm grip on the light, resting it on the top railing as he took a moment to catch his breath.

"S-sorry… I should have noticed the knot in the cables…"

"We both should have." I chuckled softly. "You… need any more help?"

He shook his head quietly, having begun attaching the light fixture to the railing.

With a single nod, I walked back over to the ladder, sitting myself down on the catwalk before I placed my feet on the rungs.

"Oh… thank you for the help, Danny." Legosi called, looking over to me as I had begun to climb down the ladder.

"Anytime, Legosi." I smiled before continuing the climb down.

Nearing the bottom, I heard a door open over near the stage and turned my head to the source. From the backroom Sanu had entered, a dignified figure emerged, his antlers an unmistakable feature, and his face filled with a stoic resolve.

_Louis…_

"Let's begin rehearsal."

**Apologies for the slow updates. Expect at least a chapter every month! I am very interested in hearing how folks think I am writing the personalities of the main cast, as I've found that's been a hard thing to nail down for some characters (specifically Legosi, as I feel his personality before he met Haru was a lot more introverted than what we saw. It's been a challenge conveying that!) **

**Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"It is ironic that we should meet here, Water Spirit O'Dea…" Adler spoke, his voice soft yet filled with resolve.

"The irony is not lost on me, Reaper. For us to meet in this place, under this tree… quite ironic indeed." O'Dea replied, gazing up at the blooming cherry blossom tree. He took to kneeling on the soft soil, pressing a paw lightly against one of the many twisting roots.

"You Reapers have always perplexed me. You claim to be caretakers of life through its destruction. How many souls have you ripped from this world? Hundreds? Thousands? Perhaps a countless number, imperceptible to all and lost to the annals of this world… No, I think you've always kept track. Their names, their faces, their stories. You keep them all with you as you continue your duty. I can sympathize with this, Reaper. As a Water Spirit, we are renowned for the life we give. My very essence creates beauty. I create, and you destroy. It is the natural order of things… and yet you have defied it. Tell me, Reaper, what made this girl any different from the countless others?"

O'Dea spoke with a great reverence as he ran his paw along the tree's bark. His speech was as smooth as the sound of a babbling brook, but as decisive as the flow of a river. Beneath his bleached white skull, Adler simply chuckled in response, gazing up to the tree as well.

"I don't think I shall ever know the answer to that, old friend." He said simply, looking back to O'Dea.

"Adler… you know what I must – wuuh!"

I blinked as Tem called out, having stumbled slightly as he sat up from the stage floor. A few groans were heard as everyone present began to talk amongst themselves.

"S-sorry everyone!" He called out, waving a hand.

"Tem, make sure you get your leg fur trimmed." Louis said firmly, having noticed the white Alpaca fur draping over Tem's sneakers. "I don't want you tripping again."

Watching the interaction between the two actors, it was clear to see Louis had a very particular way of speaking. He masked his tone, disguising even the slightest criticism with a veil of positivity. Each suggestion he offered sounded more like a demand, one he expected to be followed to the letter. It was… captivating. I don't think I had moved my eyes off him ever since he emerged from the back room. He commanded your attention, and expected you to listen to every word, observe every movement.

"Louis is right, Tem!" Shiira piped up in agreement, having been off to the other side of the room working with the dance crew. "Last thing you'd want to happen is a stumble like that during a performance!"

"I'll get it trimmed before the next practice." Tem nodded. "Do we want to go from the top, Louis – senpai?"

"Actually, it's getting pretty late." Sanu interrupted, having stepped onto the stage, his tone just loud enough for the rest of the club members present to hear. "Let's start cleaning up, everyone! That was an excellent rehearsal! Next practice will be tomorrow evening at seven!"

A mumbled mix of replies echoed from the students before everyone set out on cleaning the practice room. Unsure of what exactly to do, I sat up from the spot I had claimed on the floor. After having helped Legosi with the light, no one else seemed to need my assistance, so I had taken to observing the main rehearsal. Watching Tem, Ellen, and Louis run through the climax of the play was… to put it simply, an exhilarating experience. Even without the costumes, the fancy sets, and the lighting, I could picture everything. It was a pure display of raw talent.

"So, Danny, what did you think of the rehearsal?" Sanu asked, having stepped down from the stage, his clipboard still in hand. "You seemed quite captivated."

"It was…"

"I hope you don't plan on sitting around at every rehearsal, Daniel." Louis stated, having walked down from the stage as well.

I shook my head several times, my ears and tail drooping in tandem.

"S-sorry, Louis – senpai… I-I wasn't exactly sure what to do once you all started."

The faintest hint of a smirk formed on Louis' lips as he crossed his arms.

"Well I trust you'll see to it that you are well occupied during future practices. Continue with what you were going to say."

_He's so brazen and… blunt… I've never seen an Herbivore speak like this…_

"W-well… it was… enchanting." I stuttered, rubbing the back of my head.

"Enchanting…" Louis' repeated with a chuckle. "Please, go on."

_He's NOT like the other herbivores…_

"Y-you all seemed very well rehearsed already… e-even without all of the costumes or s-sets, I felt like I was w-watching the final performance."

"So, you see no areas in need of improvement, then?" Louis questioned, his tone coming off as amused, like that of a parent humoring a child.

_He's talking down to me…_

"W-well… aside from Tem tripping as he got up…" I began, a small fire, perhaps spitefulness, rising inside me.

_Oh no… Danny don't say anything stupid…_

"Uh… your own line delivery was… stiff." I finished, looking Louis in the eye.

_Why'd you say that! He's your senior! Why did you choose now of all times to speak your mind, you stupid dog?!_

In an instant, the amused smile was removed from Louis' face. It was replaced with a stern glare, much like that of a parent just before they scolded their child, and a furrowed brow that was supported by unmoving eyes locked with my own. The whole room seemed to stop moving as my words left my mouth, and though I couldn't see all of them, I felt the gazes of the club members on myself.

"Stiff…" Louis said plainly, his eyes still locked with my own. "Dom – san, put Daniel to work."

"R-right, Louis – senpai." Dom, who had been off to my right, replied.

As quick as it fell silent, the room resumed with activity. The sound of brooms sweeping filled my ears as Louis and I continued to stare at each other. It was almost as if neither of us wanted to be the first one to break away, as if doing so would declare a winner over some invisible, unspoken contest of wills.

A light tug at the collar of my shirt broke the staring contest between us. My eyes instinctively turned towards the tugging, finding that Dom the Peafowl was the source.

"Come on, Danny – san. The quicker everyone pitches in, the quicker we can leave." He said with a smile.

I glanced back briefly to Louis, just catching his lips curl into a smug, satisfied grin.

"Right, of course." I nodded, looking back to Dom.

The Peafowl took to leading me over to the rest of the stage crew, who had taken to ensuring the rear sections of the practice room had been scrubbed clean. Legosi was with them, utilizing his comparatively greater height to reach some cobwebs that had taken root.

"You'd best be careful with how you talk to Louis, Danny – san." A Red Panda piped up as he handed me a broom.

"Yeah," an Anteater nodded in agreement, "I heard he once kicked someone out of the club for criticizing his acting."

"Oh, wasn't that last year?" A Barn Owl asked as he was wiping off some of the overhead lights. "What was his name…"

"Eh, doesn't matter." The Red Panda waved his paw dismissively, point his broom handle directly at me. "Point is, don't be so brazen. You can only claim 'foreign-ness' as an excuse so many times."

My fur bristled slightly as I began to sweep up around our designated area.

"Oh, come on, it was just a friendly criticism. One actor to another." I barked sharply, just loud enough for only those close could have heard. "He was practically egging me on for it anyhow."

Dom chuckled nervously.

"Oh, come on Mark, Fudge," He said in between his chuckles, casting a glare to the Anteater and Red Panda, "don't make Danny nervous."

"I'm not nervous." I said calmly, sweeping up a clump of dust into the nearby dustpan.

"Still, Mark and Fudge do have a point." Dom added. "You are a first-year student, Danny – san. It'd be best to keep those thoughts to yourself unless you're explicitly asked to share them."

I sighed softly as I bent down to pick up the dustpan.

"Dom is right, Danny." Legosi said with a nod, depositing a sufficiently dirtied rag into a nearby by bin.

"Right, right." I acquiesced, dumping the dustpan into a small garbage bag resting on the back wall. "Suppose I should… apologize before we all leave practice, just to clear up any misunderstandings."

"An excellent idea!" Dom smiled, giving me a gentle pat on the back.

Cleaning the practice room passed rather quickly after this exchanged. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Mark the Anteater and Fudge the Red Panda, along with Dom, asked the standard questions I had gotten several times over by this point. Nevertheless, I took to answering them as enthusiastically as the other times. Legosi even offered a few questions of his own, though he mostly continued to listen and work, keeping to himself.

As the cleaning session began to wrap up, most of the club members began to file out of the practice room. Dom had told me that there was a set of locker rooms provided for members to store their personal items during practice. He offered to show me to the locker that I'd be using, however I elected to hang back so I could speak with Louis.

Louis had briefly helped with the cleaning before he retired to the private room just behind the practice stage. As I told Dom I'd only be a few minutes, I looked back to the room, noticing its door was cracked open. I gave the Peafowl a small wave goodbye before making my way across the practice room. It was eerily quiet without all the commotion from the club members; only the gentle hum of the overhead lights filled my ears as I stopped just short of the door to the private room's door.

"You'd better not be coming here to apologize." Louis said sharply just as I knocked.

I pushed past the door and entered the room. It was a relatively small room, tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of the normal practices. Louis was sat in a leather chair, his gaze immediately fixated on me as I entered. Sitting on a table next to him was what appeared to be the skull mask worn by the actor playing Adler.

"I'm… what?" I raised an eyebrow, thoroughly caught off guard. "S-should I not apologize?"

"No, you should not." Louis stated in the same firm tone as before. He moved to sit up from his chair, walking across the small room to stand a few feet in front of me.

"It was quite refreshing to see that, unlike many of your dog brethren, you're not one to meekly roll over at the first sign of conflict. No doubt a quirk of being a Wolfhound, yes?"

I nodded slightly, my brain still trying to catch up after having been completely blindsided.

"Yours is an interesting species of dog from what I've read. Stubborn, bull-headed, often very opinionated, and hard to work with. Qualities not uncommon in those of your wolf ancestors, and qualities that are to be expected given how your… species came into being."

My fur bristled.

"These are qualities not uncommon in most of the carnivore students in this club." Louis said with a chuckle, inching closer to me as his unwavering gaze continued to stare daggers. "But unlike you, these other carnivores don't seem to like to talk back to me. They don't like offering criticism unless explicitly asked to give it. They meekly try to hide their nature or try to wiggle their way out of any potential slights against an herbivore… something you were trying to do when you came in here expecting to apologize to me."

As Louis moved closer and closer, I began to back up myself. However, in only a few short steps, I found the wall at my back.

"W-what's your point, Louis?" I said, chuckling nervously through gritted teeth.

"My point, Daniel, is this: you have two paths ahead of you as you begin your journey in this school. You can either be the meek, subservient dog you want to be, or be the bold, stubborn carnivore inherent in your nature. Whichever you choose doesn't concern me, but I'd rather you not lose your… honesty, so soon." He finished with a simple smirk, his own face mere inches away from mine.

Turning on a heel, Louis returned to his chair, picking up the mask of Adler in his hands as he sat down.

"Now then. If that's all, please close the door on your way out."

* * *

"So, he really said all of that?" Chase asked again as he and I were leaving the cafeteria.

The winter sun was just beginning to crest over the treetops, dispelling much of the cool nighttime air as it rose. A gentle breeze brushed past the both of us as we walked down the steps, heading towards the school building for our Monday classes. Chase had suggested that we leave breakfast a bit earlier than usual so he could show me where our classroom is, and I elected to use this time to recount my encounter with Louis, the star actor of the drama club.

"Mhm." I nodded, hoisting my backpack onto my shoulders.

_Except for the part where he started talking about Wolfhounds…_

"Sor' o' came out o' nowhere."

"Well, you did talk back to a third-year." Chase replied. "Maybe he just wanted to vent some pent-up frustrations. Can't imagine being the star of the drama club is easy."

"Ventin' frustrations is one thing. I kind o' expected t' be chewed out fer talking ou' o' term." I sighed loudly. "But… 'ell the whole damn conversation was jus'… odd. I dunno, sounded like 'e was almost complimentin' me for talkin' back."

Chase began to snicker under his breath, taking to covering his mouth with his paws as we walked. The snickering eventually turned into a full-on belly laugh, causing him to stop in his tracks as the laughing fit took over

"Oi, what's funny then?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I turned back towards him.

"I'm sorry! Sorry! You just… you've been speaking English this whole time and it sounds really funny!" He said between his bouts of laughter. "Your accent got really thick too… I can't take it!"

Both of my ears flicked sharply. It was an ingrained habit of mine to switch back into my native language whenever I was angry or upset. I have never really been able to break it, and it seems my native accent flourishes under these instances as well. Nevertheless, seeing that it brought Chase so much amusement brought out a few chuckles of my own.

"Righ' righ', tends t' 'appen whene'er I'm in a mood…" I chuckled, continuing to speak English. "Can we jus' ge' on with the tour?"

Having composed himself, Chase sucked in a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and continued forward. He took a sharp right and began climbing a small set of steps up to one of the school building's entrances.

"Of course." He breathed, still snickering slightly as he turned back to make sure I was following. "I still think you may be overreacting to the whole conversation. Herbivores can get worked into all sorts of funks over the smallest of things."

"Yeah… I suppose you're right." I sighed, having shifted back into the Japanese language. Though it took quite a bit of focus for me to speak it right now, I figured it would keep Chase from having another laughing fit. "The herbivores you have around here are quite… different from what I am used too."

Chase let out a single laugh as he opened the heavy wooden door to the school, allowing me to enter first before closing it behind us.

"Guess I never put much thought to it. They've always acted the same to me. What are they like back home?"

"Well… I mean… they're not nearly as friendly as Tem was, or as brazen as Louis was." I replied, rubbing the back of my head as I followed Chase up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the building. "Like… that reaction the Zebra girl… Ellen gave me seemed to be the standard. Though, our school was all carnivore, and the only herbivore's I saw where the few who lived in our village…"

"I dunno, Danny." Chase pushed his glasses up his snout. "Sounds to me like you're just lacking in experience with herbivores."

"So how do I fix that?"

"For one thing, actually talk to them." Chase chuckled at the admittedly stupid question. "You know, don't sit off in the corner and leer at them. Be a friendly dog! Herbivore's love that. We're probably the easiest carnivores for them to befriend."

"But I always find myself getting nervous around them, especially when they're nervous around me…" I replied meekly as we began to climb another set of stairs to the second floor of the building. "And that usually makes them extra skittish because it probably seems… I dunno, unnatural for a carnivore to be nervous about anything."

"Well what about with that Alpaca you mentioned… the one you're shadowing?" Chase asked.

I shook my head.

"Tem was different. He didn't act nervous at all, so I really didn't have a reason to be nervous. I doubt the other herbivores will act the same, and the last thing I want to do is cause them to freak out. Like you said, word travels fast among them, and I don't think starting off my schooling here as 'that creepy kid' is a good idea."

Chase sighed as we climbed the final step, taking a sharp right on the second floor.

"Danny, you're thinking way too hard about this. It'll only lead to you overthinking every word you utter to an herbivore student, and that's what will lead to you freaking them out. I think I know what Louis was getting at now…"

My ears flicked.

"When you offered a genuine piece of criticism, not only were you just being yourself, you were treating him as an equal." Chase stated, scratching behind his ear as we continued to walk down the hall, nearing a set of double doors. "I'd wager plenty of the carnivore students do their best to not step over his toes and meekly roll over at his every utterance. He probably appreciated that you spoke to him not as an herbivore, but as an equal, and didn't want you to apologize for it."

As we reached the set of double doors, marked with a small sign that read "Class 1-B", Chase stepped in front of me just as I went to open the doors.

"Don't overthink things, Danny. You are not a carnivore talking to an herbivore. You are a friendly guy talking to another animal. Just talk to them… normally." He finished with a smile.

"Right… I'll give it a shot." I sighed, my brain still jumping over itself with all sorts of worries.

With a content nod, Chase pushed one of the doors open, causing the room's automatic lights to switch on. It was a large lecture hall, with enough seats for probably sixty students. Rather than using individual desks, each seat shared a single spanning table that wrapped around the room to form a semi-circle. Each row was stacked on each other like a tiered cake, with steps leading down to the lectern and a large sheet of canvas that served as the projector's backdrop. All in all, it was your typical lecture hall, though it was quite a change from what I was used to.

"Here's our classes lecture hall." Chase said with a grandiose gesture as we entered. "Seating is done alphabetically, so you'll be sitting down on the lowest tier with me. In fact, we'll only be a seat away from each other."

"Who's sitting in between us?" I tilted my head slightly after having looked around the lecture hall.

"Oh!" Chase exclaimed, his snout shifting into a sly, mischievous, toothy grin. "Someone who I think'll help you out with your… communication issues."

It only took a second for me to pick up on his meaning. I groaned loudly, burying my head into my arms.

"Can't I just… sit next to you or something?"

"And miss out on the opportunity to expand your horizons and overcome your own fears?" Chase grinned wider and wider. "Don't worry, buddy. She's an easy gal to talk to."

"SHE?!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Oh, come now, Danny boy," Chase continued to snicker, "just use that Irish charm of yours!"

"You're evil…" I groaned.

Chase and I continued to chat, passing the time as eight o'clock drew near. He did well to instruct me on the general flow of classes and what to expect from the teachers. Try as I might, he was unwilling to relinquish further information on the mystery classmate who would be sitting in between us, being quick to shift the discussion back to classes.

Other students continued filing into the classroom as we talked. Some of the ones who sat nearby were quick to say hi and introduce themselves, exchanging a few pleasantries before they found their own seats. So far, there seemed to be a healthy mixture of herbivores and carnivores in the class, and each herbivore that came up to say hi, as few as they were, seemed to be a warmup to the main event. My eyes continued to drift over to the large digital clock that hung above the chalk board at the front of the room, noting the time and then darting back to the still empty chair.

At around seven fifty-five, the teacher entered the lecture hall from a side door in the front of the classroom. He was quick to take notice of me, and after setting down a stack of papers and a briefcase, he came over to introduce himself. I had half expected him to pull the old "stand up and introduce yourself to the class" maneuver, but after a quick introduction and a handshake, he made his way back up to the front.

Class started right as eight o'clock came around, and as if on cue, I heard the chair to my left squeak as it was pulled out from the desk.

"Just barely made it…" a female's voice sighed softly.

"Ah, Milly, good morning!" Chase whispered through a smile.

In a flash, my entire body tensed up.

_I'm too young to get this stressed out...  
_

**My apologies for the long wait. Been quite busy these past few months, but I found the time to get another chapter written. It's shorter than usual, but for a good reason! Going to try something for the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**


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